In this blog, we share insights from Season 2, Episode 7 of our podcast, The rise of resource management: Extracting value, linking profitability, and the AI era, featuring Ryan Childers, Managing Director of the Resource Management Institute (RMI). Ryan discusses the increasing prominence of resource management and why extracting its full value is more critical than ever. He shares insights on how organizations can bridge the profitability gap and prepare for AI as the next frontier of the profession.
Key insights from the episode:
1. The rise of resource management as a strategic force
Resource management is gaining recognition as a strategic function, moving beyond traditional workforce planning into a critical driver of business success. Ryan and Christine share their perspective that organizations are increasingly recognizing resource management as a structured and strategic discipline—one that optimizes resources, improves efficiency, and enhances profitability.
“The tide is turning—there’s growing global awareness of resource management as a discipline. We’re seeing a significant shift toward professionalizing resource management and a growing desire to extract its value.
The key driver? In a typical professional services organization, your most strategic asset is your people. Ensuring their effective management and deployment through structured discipline is critical to success. As organizations recognize this, they increasingly see resource management as an essential investment to propel their business forward.”
Ryan Childers, Managing Director of the RMI
A key factor driving this shift is the increasing professionalization and growing strength of the resource management community. Ryan and Christine highlight how professional networks, shared knowledge, and certifications are advancing the discipline.
“In every organization, resource management is happening—whether it's called that or not. But organizations need to recognize the opportunity to approach it strategically. There are best practices, certifications, and ways to elevate the approach, driving value across departments and industries.”
Christine Robinson, Strategic Advisor to Dayshape
A key driver of this professionalization is the sense of community fostered by resource management-specific events, such as the Resource Management Global Symposium (RMGS). These events provide a space for resource managers to connect, share insights, and shape best practices.
Ryan reflects on the impact of these gatherings:
“One of my favorite moments is when resource managers attend events like RMGS and have the ah-ha moment where they realize they are not alone. This thing they’re passionate about, resource management, it’s shared. They’re part of a global network of professionals who care about resource management as much as they do.”
Ryan Childers, Managing Director of the RMI
Since its founding in 2016, the RMI has grown into a 4,000 member-strong global community of resource management professionals, playing a key role in advancing resource management as a discipline and profession. Through thought leadership, training and certification, market research and benchmarking, and events like RMGS, it provides a platform for resource managers to connect, share insights, and develop their strategy.
“The RMI's purpose is to unite the resource management community and support its growth. We strive to equip professionals with thought leadership, best practices, and strategies to optimize resource management processes enabled within their technology solutions.
By offering a resource management maturity model, we also enable them to chart a clear path from basic resource management to a more strategic approach.
From a career perspective, we offer training and certification—like the RMCP® credential—enabling professionals to showcase their expertise, advance in their roles, or even lead a resource management office (RMO). This is how we channel our passion: by driving progress in resource and workforce management."
Ryan Childers, Managing Director of the RMI
2. Extracting the full value of resource management
Christine and Ryan discuss how resource management is shifting from an operational function to a critical, strategic investment area. They emphasize the growing recognition of its value, highlighting how organizations are applying resource management principles to optimize workforce utilization, enhance efficiency, and drive profitability.
“Organizations are recognizing the value of professional resource management and leveraging it in new ways. They’re expanding it beyond client delivery into areas like customer support, IT, and product development, recognizing that the same principles can drive value across the business.”
Ryan Childers, Managing Director of the RMI
Ryan also highlights that resource management professionals must take ownership of communicating their impact.
“The theme for the RMI in 2025 is value. As resource management professionals, we need to deeply understand how what we do every day contributes to the organization and to the resources we manage. Do we truly understand the value we create? And if we do, can we amplify it and communicate it in a way that resonates with leadership? That’s how we gain support and sustain the growth of the function.”
Ryan Childers, Managing Director of the RMI
3. Bridging the gap between resource management and profitability
A key challenge discussed in the episode is the difficulty of directly linking resource management to profitability. While organizations are increasingly recognizing its value, many still struggle to make a tangible connection. Ryan and Christine share insights from a recent research study by Dayshape, in partnership with the RMI, which explores how organizations are connecting resource management to revenue and profitability.
"In our collaborative research study with the RMI and Dayshape, we uncovered valuable insights into the connection between resource management and project profitability. While there’s a clear intent to link the two, it remains more of an aspiration than a widespread reality. The recognition is growing, but as resource management professionals, we must dig deeper to make this connection more tangible.”
Ryan Childers, Managing Director of the RMI
“As resource management leaders work to articulate their value proposition and capture leadership’s attention, framing the conversation around profitability and revenue is what makes them listen.
The resource management community is eager to make this connection, but the question is—do they know how? After reviewing the report, it’s clear that something isn’t quite aligning between resource management and revenue goals.”
Christine Robinson, Strategic Advisor to Dayshape
Ryan highlights data fragmentation as a major barrier to linking resource management with profitability, and Christine shares her advice on connecting the dots.
“To make real progress, we need to break down silos. You need visibility into your data to even have a remote shot at this. That means getting out of disparate systems and consolidating. It also requires tighter organizational alignment—ensuring that resource management, revenue goals, and profitability are fully connected."
Ryan Childers, Managing Director of the RMI
“Get specific and get intentional. Identify the root cause of the disconnect. Do your systems not talk to each other? Is there resistance from certain parts of the business? Figure out why and articulate that challenge—that puts you in a position to drive value.”
Christine Robinson, Strategic Advisor to Dayshape
4. Preparing resource management for an AI-driven future
Christine and Ryan explore how AI is poised to transform resource management, particularly in workforce optimization. AI has the potential to make resource management more predictive, data-driven, and efficient—but only if organizations establish the right foundations today.
“My advice would be to start with education on AI. Technology providers are investing heavily in AI, both in functionality and in helping us understand what’s coming. Digest and consume what’s out there, but also think beyond functionality—consider risks, impacts, and how AI fits into your organization’s vision.”
Ryan Childers, Managing Director of the RMI
Ryan emphasizes that AI’s effectiveness will depend on strong data and well-defined processes.
“It all starts with education on AI—it’s the foundational building block. If we then focus on getting our processes and data right today, we’ll be better positioned for the future. AI, much like any technology solution, is only as effective as the data and processes you feed it—garbage in, garbage out.”
Ryan Childers, Managing Director of the RMI
He also highlights the need for resource management professionals to develop the right skills to stay relevant in an AI-driven world.
“Everything points to the importance of soft skills—how we communicate, our analytical skills, problem-solving, and creative thinking. These will be just as critical as technical expertise in the future of resource management.”
Ryan Childers, Managing Director of the RMI
Conclusion
Christine and Ryan’s discussion underscores how resource management is gaining momentum as a strategic force—fueled by increasing professionalization, a stronger focus on profitability, and advancements in resource management technology. However, fully extracting its value requires breaking down silos, consolidating data, and improving alignment.
And as AI reshapes the profession, resource management leaders must prepare—by strengthening their data foundations, refining their processes, and developing the skills needed to navigate an AI-driven future.
As Ryan and Christine sum up:
The passion and aspiration are there—now it's about getting specific, being intentional, and doing the work to drive real value. But with a strong community behind them, resource management leaders don’t have to navigate the journey alone.
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